19 y.o, immigrant in the US. Tired of the hamster wheel. What's next?

I’m 19, moved to the US at 18. Started off working at McDonald’s, but quickly realized hourly jobs won’t get you anywhere financially. So I became a cable contractor for Xfinity — never even drove before that job. Failed my driving test once, flew out to Seattle because people said it’s easier to get a license there than in California — finally got it, but lost a lot of time and money in between.

Eventually started working. My weekly paycheck was around $1000, which sounds okay… but not when you send $1000–$1500/month back home to support your family in Kazakhstan. That’s not even investing — just survival money.

After 6 months of grinding, I quit. I was burned out and realized that no matter how hard I worked, there was no real progress. Money came in and disappeared. I don’t even spend much — it just vanishes between bills, gas, taxes, and helping family.

Now I’ve got around $3K saved up. And honestly, I’m stuck.

I want to find a way to work less and earn more. I’m not scared of taking risks — I’ve already gone through a lot for my age — but I need a direction that’s not some cliché “dropshipping” or “crypto” advice.

If anyone’s been through something similar — moving to a new country, trying to build something from scratch — please share what worked for you. Or just life advice in general.

I sometimes blame myself for not achieving much in 1.5 years here, even though I worked hard and took real risks. But maybe I just need a new perspective.